Crosby County, Texas

History

Around 11,000 BC, Paleo-Indians were the first inhabitants. Archeological artifacts indicate hunter-gatherers hunted the mammoth, mastodon, saber-toothed cat, and giant ground sloth. Later Native American inhabitants included the Comanche. In 1871, Ranald S. Mackenzie fought Quanah Parker and other Comanches at the Battle of Blanco Canyon. The campaign established the Mackenzie Trail used by the first settlers in Crosby County in the late 1870s.

The Texas Legislature formed Crosby County from Young and Bexar districts in 1876. Bavarian Heinrich Schmidtt (Henry “Hank” Clay Smith) and his wife Elizabeth Boyle and their six children became the first permanent settlers in the area in 1878; Hank was active in the county's organization.

Confederate veteran Paris Cox first visited the Caprock Escarpment of the Llano Estacado with a group of buffalo hunters in 1879. Estacado was named the county seat in 1886. By 1900, the beef industry was thriving, supporting 30,618 head.

The country and western song (Ghost) Riders in the Sky was inspired by a legend of a stampede that took place in Crosby County in 1889

In 1908, the Bar-N-Bar Ranch began selling acreage to farmers.

Crosbyton became the new county seat in 1910. Some 45400 acre in the county were planted in cotton, and 15,000 apple and peach trees were growing in the county in 1920. By 1929, farmers owned 83,000 chickens and sold 395,000 dozen eggs that year.

The first soil conservation district in the county was formed in 1941. In 1955, oil was discovered in the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 902 sqmi, of which 900 sqmi are land and 1.5 sqmi (0.2%) are covered by water.

Major highways

• [[File:US 62.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 62
• [[File:US 82.svg|20px]] [[File:Texas 114.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 82/State Highway 114
• [[File:Texas 207.svg|20px]] State Highway 207

Adjacent counties

• Floyd County (north)
• Motley County (northeast)
• Dickens County (east)
• Kent County (southeast)
• Garza County (south)
• Lynn County (southwest)
• Lubbock County (west)
• Hale County (northwest)

Geographic features

• Blanco Canyon
• White River, Silver Falls
• Mount Blanco
• Caprock Escarpment

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–2010 2010 2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,133. The median age was 42.0 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.5 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 63.5% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian,

There were 1,984 households in the county, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.0% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,652 housing units, of which 25.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.7% were owner-occupied and 27.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.5%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 7,072 people, 2,512 households, and 1,866 families resided in the county. The population density was 8 /mi2. The 3,202 housing units averaged 4 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 63.77% White, 3.89% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 29.89% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. About 48.93% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,512 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the county, the population was distributed as 30.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,769, and for a family was $29,891. Males had a median income of $23,775 versus $17,229 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,445. About 22.6% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.6% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Crosbyton (county seat)
• Lorenzo
• Ralls

Unincorporated communities

• Broadway
• Cap Rock
• Cone
• Estacado (partly in Lubbock County)
• Kalgary
• Owens
• Robertson

Ghost towns

• Canyon Valley
• Farmer
• Mount Blanco
• Savage
• Wake

Education

School districts serving the county include:

• Crosbyton Consolidated Independent School District
• Lorenzo Independent School District
• Petersburg Independent School District
• Ralls Independent School District

The county is in the service area of South Plains College.

Gallery

File:Mt Blanco 2005.jpg|Mount Blanco File:Blanco Canyon in Crosby County Texas 2009.jpg|Blanco Canyon File:Llano_Estacado_Caprock_Escarpment_south_of_Ralls_TX_2009.jpg|Caprock Escarpment south of Ralls

Politics

Republican Drew Springer Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has since January 2013 represented Crosby County in the Texas House of Representatives.

References

References

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2. "Crosby County, Texas".
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9. Gwynne, S. C.. (2010). "Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History". Scribner.
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22. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Crosby County, Texas".
23. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
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25. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
26. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
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28. [https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]
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31. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".